The Most Popular Diving Activity by Decade

[Trace Malinowski]

The following list is based upon the amount of media attention given to various diving activities over the years. I began snorkeling as a kid in the 1970's. The dive magazines and other forms of media generally focused on specific underwater activities more than others. For example, Skin Diver magazine had page after page, photo after photo, of divers with speared fish often far larger than the diver himself. Today, social media has added a unique twist to "media coverage" and just as "life imitates art" the media has a distinct influence of the popularization of what activities divers do. The list isn't exclusive, scientific, or proven by any means. It is my personal perception of the media coverage to which I have been exposed.

1940's ... combat diving.
1950's ... spearfishing
1960's ... deep exploration
1970's ... treasure hunting
1980's ... dive travel & photography
1990's ... technical and cave diving
2000's ... taking certification courses
2010's ... trim, buoyancy & propulsion selfies

 

[rhwestfall]

forgot to include "internet diving"....

 

[Wookie]

Maybe the 2010's are about becoming better divers, but I doubt it. It's all about the shark.

 

[HantsDiver]

2010's ... trim, buoyancy & propulsion selfies

PSML!!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... I think the most popular diving activity of this decade is old-timers complaining about new divers and telling us all how much better it was in the old days ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[rhwestfall]

The replacement of mentors with elitists.....

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

@NWGratefulDiver "Back in my day, we didn't use any fancy tables or computers. We just bent goats and used that!"

 

[2airishuman]

... I think the most popular diving activity of this decade is old-timers complaining about new divers and telling us all how much better it was in the old days ...

This is neither limited to diving nor to this decade.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

... I think the most popular diving activity of this decade is old-timers complaining about new divers and telling us all how much better it was in the old days ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I'm not trying to put down divers today. I'm trying to raise awareness by creating a thread instead of a ribbon to remind folks that there is a lot of fun to be had out there without the "industry" having to be involved. With magazines like Quest, Alert Diver, Dive Training, and Scuba Diving being used to promote the agenda of training agencies, there has been a lot of attention being paid to the next class. Divers are climbing a ladder to the dangling carrots of certification levels, tech configurations, rebreathers, etc., and many more of these students haven't even done a recreational night dive. I remember an article in Diver magazine from Canada trying to sell its readers on the idea that they need a certification card as late as 1982 or 1983. I'm guilty of video selfies myself to sell courses. So, the kettle knows he's as black as the pot. Now that the industry has buoyancy fever, I just hope that the fad doesn't turn divers into skill performers like my girlfriend, Sonya's, world of amateur and professional figure skating. It would really suck if we judged a diver simply by the ability to perform basic 5, S-drills, valve drills, and deploy a marker in shallow water rather than thinking about a diver in terms of the film Monte Walsh. In the remake with Tom Selleck, the boss, played by William Devane remarks, "Nobody sits a horse like Monte Walsh." That didn't mean other cowboys weren't good or even better than the iconic western character. It just meant, he looked good on a horse.

 

[Birddog1911]

In the remake with Tom Selleck, the boss, played by William Devane remarks, "Nobody sits a horse like Monte Walsh." That didn't mean other cowboys weren't good or even better than the iconic western character. It just meant, he looked good on a horse.

My horse keeps biting through his mouthpiece, and can't hover to save his life. And that mask wasn't cheap!